Room 13 by Robert Swindells Read Free Book Online

and meet in the top-floor bathroom, room twelve, at half-past eleven. From there they would be able to keep watch on the stair-top, landing and cupboard. It would be impossible for anyone to reach the cupboard without being seen, and if anything odd happened to the door itself, like the number thirteen suddenly appearing on it, they’d see that too.
    This settled, the four split up and returned to their rooms. It wasn’t until Fliss was lying in bed at half-past nine, listening to Marie and the twins, that she realized nobody had thought about what they’d do if Ellie-May did appear. She lay, worrying about this and looking at her watch every minute or two, as her room-mates chattered on.

IT WAS NEARLY eleven o’clock before the girls in room ten stopped talking and three of them fell asleep. Fliss lay absolutely still, listening to their breathing, and almost drifted off herself. When she realized what was happening she shook her head, blinked rapidly and looked at her watch.
    Twenty-three twenty. Ten minutes to zero. Now that it was nearly time she didn’t fancy it one bit. The cold, dark landing. The door of the linen cupboard, upon which the number thirteen might at this very moment be materializing. The prospect of footfalls on the stair.
    And I was the one who suggested it, she reminded herself. I must have been crazy.
    Well, anyway, it was too late now. It was her plan and she was stuck with it. She squinted at her watch again. Twenty-three twenty-seven. Three minutes to zero. What she’d do was, she’d listen for the others arriving. One of the others, at least. She didn’t want to be the first. She knew that if she opened the door and found herself alone on the landing, just a metre or so from that creepy cupboard, she’d have the door shut and be back under the covers so quick her feet wouldn’t touch the floor.
    Listen. A creak somewhere. Somewhere a tick. The house, settling. Twenty-three twenty-nine, and no footsteps. Perhaps nobody’ll turn up. Maybe they’ve fallen asleep. I nearly did. And if they have, it’s off. There’s no way I’m watching alone. No way. Please God, let them be asleep.
    Zero hour, and listen – somebody’s coming. Somebody’s right outside the door, breathing. Waiting. And there – there goes a whisper, so there’s two of them at least and they’re whispering about me – asking where I am.
    Asleep, that’s where I am, so leave me. Let me sleep. There’s three of you. You don’t need me. You don’t need me, do you? Do you?
    Twenty-three thirty-one. Zero plus one. They’re listening at the door, and they know you’re not asleep. They can hear you breathing – looking at your watch. They can hear your heart.
    My idea. My plan. My own stupid fault in other words. OK, OK. I’m coming. Here I come.
    She got out of bed, tiptoed across the sandy carpet and stood with her ear to the door, listening to the sounds of stealthy movement beyond. Behind her, the three girls slept on. She twisted the knob and eased the door open. It squeaked, and somebody outside went, ‘Sssh!’ She looked across. Three pale figures were watching her from the bathroom doorway.
    ‘Where the heck have you been?’ hissed Lisa, as Fliss joined them. ‘We’ve been here ages.’
    ‘Sorry. I think I must have dropped off to sleep. Is anything happening?’
    She looked towards the cupboard but there was no number. Trot shook his head. ‘Nothing yet. Look, let’s get inside and close the door except for a crack to look through. And no more talking, right?’
    They stood on the cold plastic tiles, peering over one another’s shoulders. The rain which had threatened earlier was now falling. Cloud hid the moon, so that the windows on the half-landings gave almost no light. Fliss shivered, wishing she had her dressing-gown and slippers, or better still, that she was where they were, in her bedroom at home.
    Somewhere a clock chimed. ‘What time’s that?’ whispered Gary. ‘I forgot my